Skip to navigation Skip to content Skip to footer

Five Bluffton players named All-HCAC

Posted: May 15, 2007

May 15, 2007

BLUFFTON, Ohio - Five Bluffton University baseball players were recently honored by the Heartland Collegiate Athletic Conference coaches for their play on the field this spring. Junior pitcher/designated hitter TIM KAY (Alpharetta Ga./Blessed Trinity), who was the HCAC Player of the Month for April, and junior center fielder TONY MOORE (Elida/Elida) were both named to the All-HCAC first team while freshman pitcher/outfielder CODY MCPHERSON(Northwood/Lake) was selected to the second team. Earning honorable mention All-HCAC were pitchers TYLER SPRUNGER (Berne, Ind./South Adams) and MATT PERKINS(Convoy/Crestview).
Tyler Sprunger Junior Tim Kay, who was selected to the first team for the second consecutive year, led the Beavers both on the mound and at the plate. An April in which Kay smoked opposing pitchers at a .500 clip helped Tim to a HCAC best .459 batting average for the season, including hitting .467 in conference games. He finished with 34 hits, 15 runs scored and 17 runs batted in despite playing only 22 games. For the season, Kay had a .649 slugging percentage, second best in the conference behind only Scott Tarnowski, the HCAC Most Valuable Player from Manchester. His on-base percentage of .545 was also the best in the conference. On the basepaths, he stole 11 bases in only 12 tries and he drew 12 walks during 2007.

On the mound, Kay was just as dominating. He finished the year with a 2.79 earned run average, including a 1.50 ERA during the month of April. Kay struck out 21 batters and issued only 10 free passes while compiling a 2-4 mark in 38.2 innings of work. Opponents hit .247 against Kay who tossed three complete games in his six 2007 starts for the Beavers.


Tony Moore, who was an All-Midwest Region selection in 2006, was also named first team All-HCAC in 2007. He collected 35 hits in 94 at-bats for a .372 average, second-best on the team. Moore scored 15 runs and knocked in 10 while compiling a .457 slugging percentage. Tony's on-base percentage of .412 was the third-highest for the Beavers and he stole five bases in 2007.

The lone Beaver selected to the All-HCAC second team was freshman Cody McPherson. The first-year right fielder was undaunted by collegiate pitching as he hit .361 for Bluffton, finishing with 22 hits in 61 at-bats. McPherson used a keen eye at the plate to pick up six walks, pushing his on-base percentage to .429, the second-best on the squad. He put down four sacrifice bunts and drove in 10 runs for the Beavers.

 Cody McPherson

Junior reliever Tyler Sprunger picked up his first All-HCAC award after a solid year anchoring Bluffton's bullpen. He limited opposing hitters to a .240 batting average, giving up 18 hits in 19 innings of work on the mound. In nine appearances, Sprunger gave up only eight runs for a 3.79 ERA.

Matt Perkins

Sophomore starter Matt Perkins tossed five consecutive complete games for the Beavers while compiling a 4.39 ERA for the season. He gave up 29 runs, only 20 earned, on 47 hits in 41 innings on the hill. Perkins struck out 31 batters while walking only 12 as he finished 2007 with a 1-4 mark.

The Beavers ended the 2007 season with a 5-19 overall record, including a 4-15 mark in the HCAC.

-BEAVERS-